What Are You Really Doing While Watching Television?

The Nielsen Company can maximize cross platform strategies

The Nielsen ratings is a type of audience measurement system that is able to determine the amount of people watching television, as well as what they are watching. It is now able to monitor television and internet behavior using a single source measurement panel. It is therefore also able to monitor the ways in which the two are connected. This maximized cross platform strategies because people are able to see if their commercials or website ads are successful. The Nielsen Company can record a users simultaneous television and internet usage as well in order to see a single rating for multiple screens. This allows the company to know what and how people are watching, whether it is on their television or computer. This also allows them to see what websites people are accessing after watching a television show or commercial ad. 

ABC’s Once Upon a Time goes down in ratings and viewers

The television show Once Upon a Time, a drama series on ABC, is down 5% in ratings from its series premiere on October 23, 2011.  Its first season premiered as the top-rated drama series on ABC and it was the season's highest-rated drama debut among Adults 18–49 and ABC's biggest debut in five years. However, the ratings for the television show went down the second season, in ratings as well as in viewers.  The season premiere went from a 4.0 adults 18-49 rating to a 3.8 adults 18-49 rating for the following episode. The amount of viewers dropped from 11.01 million viewers to 6 million by the second episode as well. Click here to see the ratings for yourself! 

Pew Research Center monitors multi-screen viewing

The Pew Research Center has discovered what people are actually doing while watching their favorite television shows. Studies show that 52% of people use their phone while watching television. This could be to interact with other people, as a diversion from the television show, or just because the viewer is bored. However, it is intriguing how many people engage in multiple activities while watching television. These studies show that most viewers using their cell phones in order to keep themselves occupied during commercial breaks, the second largest group of viewers is checking if something they saw on television was true or false and the smallest amount voting for a reality show contestant. These statistics show that most viewers and cell phone owners are constantly distracted by their phones and must constantly be connected by either talking with other people, checking email, or just mindlessly playing games or surfing the web.